New Delhi, November 4:

A passenger bus rolled into a deep gorge near a popular north Indian skiing resort today, killing at least 45 people, police said.

The bus plunged 650 feet into a gorge near Kufri, nearly 320 km north of New Delhi, said RM Sharma, the superintendent of police. Sharma said reckless driving appeared to be the cause of the accident. The bus driver was among the dead, he told the Associated Press.

While 44 people died on the spot, one succumbed to injuries in a hospital in Shimla, the capital of Himachal Pradesh state, said Sharma. Five people survived the crash, and they have been hospitalised with injuries, he said. Deadly road accidents are common in India, often caused by aging vehicles, overloading and reckless driving.